Hsinchu County

Hsinchu County 新竹縣
County
Flag Coat of arms of Hsinchu County Coat of arms
Coordinates:
Country	Taiwan
Region	Northwestern Taiwan
Seat	Zhubei City
Largest city	Zhubei City
Boroughs	1 cities, 12 (3 urban, 9 rural) townships
Government
• County Magistrate	Chiu Ching-chun (KMT)
Area
• Total	1,427.59 km2 (551.20 sq mi)
Area rank	12 of 22
Population (December 2014)
• Total	537,630
• Rank	11 of 22
• Density	380/km2 (980/sq mi)
Time zone	CST (UTC+8)
Website	www.hsinchu.gov.tw
Symbols
Bird	Muller's barbet (Megalaima oorti)
Flower	Camellia
Tree	Broad-leaved podocarpus (Nageia nagi)

Hsinchu County
Traditional Chinese	新竹縣
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Xīnzhú Xiàn Tongyong Pinyin Sinjhú Siàn Wade–Giles Hsin1-chu2 Hsien4 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Sin-tek-kōan

Hsinchu County (Chinese: 新竹縣; pinyin: Xīnzhú Xiàn; Wade–Giles: Hsin¹-chu² Hsien⁴) is a county in north-western Taiwan. The population of the county is mainly Hakka; there is a Taiwanese aboriginal minority in the southeastern part of the county. Zhubei is the capital of Hsinchu, where the government office and county office is located. Hsinchu is where most of the industrial factory and office of computer related companies are located, and is often called the Hsinchu Technology Zone (Chinese: 新竹科學園區; pinyin: Xīnzhú kēxuéyuán qū; Wade–Giles: Hsin¹-chu² K'o¹-hsüeh²-yüan² Ch'ü¹).

History

Main article: History of Hsinchu

Before Han Chinese people migrated to Hsinchu, the area was the homeland of Taokas Pingpu, Saisiyat, and Atayal tribes.

In 1626, after Spain occupied northern Taiwan, Spanish missionaries arrived at Teckcham/Tek-khàm (竹塹; sm: zhúqiàn).

Fukienese (Hoklo) and Hakka people came during the Ming Dynasty era (1368-1644) and began to cultivate the land from the plain area near the sea towards the river valleys and hills.

Qing Dynasty

In 1684, Zhuluo County was established during Qing Dynasty rule, and Han people again cultivated the Teckcham area. Teckcham was first settled by Han Chinese in 1711 and renamed Hsinchu in 1875. Hsinchu was a part of Taipeh Prefecture. In the late 19th century, Hoklo people dominated the coastal plain area, forcing the Saisiyat and Atayal tribes to move to Jianshi and Wufeng area, while the Hakka and Taokas plains tribes settled together in the river valleys and hills area.

Empire of Japan

In 1920, during the Japanese rule of Taiwan, Hsinchu County was administered under Shinchiku Prefecture together with modern-day Hsinchu City, Miaoli County and Taoyuan City.

Republic of China

After the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the Republic of China on 25 October 1945, Hsinchu County was established to be part of Taiwan Province on 25 December 1945. At that time, more and more people moved with the Republic of China Armed Forces from Mainland China to Taiwan for work, marriage and stay out of the Chinese Civil War, in which they formed a new social group in the society. On 1 July 1982, Xiangshan Township of the county was taken out from Hsinchu County and incorporated to Hsinchu City and became a district.

Geography

Hsinchu County is located at the northwest part of Taiwan Island. It borders Taoyuan City to the north, Miaoli County to the south, Taiwan Strait to the west and Xueshan and Dabajian Mountain to the east. With an area spanning up to 1,427.59 km², Hsinchu County area composed mainly of uplands, tablelands and mountains, except for the alluvial plains of the Fengshan River and Touqian River mouth area and partial ancient river land.

Climate

Average Temperature of Hsinchu

The average climate in Hsinchu County is mild.

Administration

See also: Administrative divisions of the Republic of China

Hsinchu County Government

Hsinchu County Council

Hsinchu County controls 1 city, 3 urban townships, 9 rural townships and 2 mountain indigenous townships. Zhubei City is the seat of Hsinchu County which houses the Hsinchu County Government and Hsinchu County Council. The incumbent Magistrate of Hsinchu County is Chiu Ching-chun of the Kuomintang. The administrative division of the county are:

City

1. Zhubei City (竹北市)

Townships

Urban townships

1. Guanxi Township (關西鎮)
2. Xinpu Township (新埔鎮)
3. Zhudong Township (竹東鎮)

Rural townships

1. Baoshan Township (寶山鄉)
2. Beipu Township (北埔鄉)
3. Emei Township (峨眉鄉)
4. Hengshan Township (橫山鄉)
5. Hukou Township (湖口鄉)
6. Qionglin Township (芎林鄉)
7. Xinfeng Township (新豐鄉)

Mountain indigenous townships

1. Jianshi Township (尖石鄉)
2. Wufeng Township (五峰鄉)

Demographics and culture

Population

As of December 2014, population of Hsinchu County is 537,630 people, with an average annual population growth around 6,868 people. Since 1991, a change in the county economic structure has brought a significant increase in the population, causing rapid growth especially in Zhubei City. The ethnic compositions of the county are Hakka, Hoklo, aborigines and new immigrants. The Hakka people constitute around 84% of the total population, while the aborigines consist mainly of Atayal and Saisiyat people.

Economy

High tech industry

After the founding of Hsinchu Science and Industrial Park in 1980, a high number of high-tech industries began to grow and expand outside the park, attracting workers coming to work and settle in the county.

Education

Ta Hwa University of Science and Technology

Education in Hsinchu County is administered by the Education Department of Hsinchu County Government. The county is home to the Minghsin University of Science and Technology and Ta Hwa University of Science and Technology.

Energy

Power generations

Hsinchu County is home to the gas-fired Hsintao Power Plant with a capacity of 600 MW located in Guanxi Township.

Water supply

Hsinchu County houses the Baoshan Dam, supplying cooling water for factories in Hsinchu Science and Industrial Park and neighboring Hsinchu City. The dam can contain water up to 5,470,000 m³ with a catchment area of 3.2 km².

Tourist attractions

Leofoo Village Theme Park

• Beipu Citian Temple
• Mount Dabajian
• Former Residence of Zhang Xueliang
• Green World Ecological Farm
• Leofoo Village Theme Park
• Little Ding-Dong Science Park
• Shei-Pa National Park
• Zhudong Timber Industry Exhibition Hall
• Beipu Old Street
• Neiwan Old Street
• Emei Huge Buddha Statue

Transportation

THSR Hsinchu Station

Rail

The Hsinchu Station of the Taiwan High Speed Rail is located in the county at Zhubei City. Hsinchu County is crossed by three Taiwan Railways Administration lines, which are the Liujia Line, Neiwan Line and Western Line.

See also

• County (Taiwan)

External links

• Hsinchu County Government website (Chinese)
• Hsinchu County Government website (English)